The Heart of a Drama Club Addict
by girly tomboy
Summary: As Hori finally comes to terms with his tumultuous feelings in regard to a certain Kashima Yuu, he unsuspectingly enlists the (unwanted) help of the ultimate love connoisseur and resident manga artist. Oh, the chaos that ensues.


Did you miss me? Haha, no? Okay...

* * *

The Heart of a Drama Club Addict

* * *

It was with insurmountable defeat that Hori Masayuki realized he was, without a doubt, in love with Kashima Yuu.

"I don't see how that's a bad thing," Nozaki said. The manga artist was in the middle of sketching the cover for the newest issue of Let's Love. He was acting the complete opposite of Hori, who had taken to cradling his head between trembling fingers.

"Nozaki, you don't understand. It's a _horrible_ thing. Kashima, of all people," he griped. "If she finds out, I'll never hear the end of it..."

"Senpai," Nozaki interrupted. The mindless scribbling that previously filled the silence came to a complete halt as he straightened in his seat. Nozaki's blank eyes hardened as he regarded his superior with something akin to disapproval. It was kind of unnerving, actually.

"Don't you think you're taking this love thing too lightly?"

"... Excuse me?"

"You should be happy!" His voice raised a decibel as he slammed his hand on his desk.

"Love is a wonderful and spectacular phenomenon that not everyone gets the chance to experience! Think of all the dates, the cuddling, the chocolate parfaits! Senpai, the chocolate. Parfaits." He was huffing and puffing with a madness and excitement Hori had never seen on him. Ever.

"Nozaki, you're scaring me."

"What exactly do you like about Kashima?" He completely ignored his comment in lieu of whipping out a small notebook from the deepest corners of his drawer. The half-finished cover was pushed to the side as eyes narrowed in concentration. His no-nonsense face honed in on Hori's slightly startled, mostly annoyed one.

"I don't see how any of this benef-"

"This is of utmost importance, Senpai!" He cleared his throat and dusted imaginary lint off his shoulders. "Pardon my bluntness." Nozaki seriously looked like he was about to stab someone. Hori noted with some horror he was the only other person in the room.

"Uh, sure. I guess, Kashima's so... perfect. She's handsome, for one. She's a brilliant actor, the best I've ever seen." He smiled fondly. "And she can be kind of cute, sometimes. I don't know how or even when it happened, I just, kinda realized it one day? And I swear I'm going insane..."

Nozaki's furious scribbling jolted Hori out of his trance as he remembered where he was, and exactly who he was talking to. "Oi, Nozaki! I was only ranting, okay? Don't try to confront anyone, don't try to set us up, and please for the love of everything good in this world, do. Not. Tell her."

"Senpai, I would never disrespect your wishes in any way. I promise." For added effect, he solemnly placed his hand over his heart. Hori felt his pulse slow as he breathed a sigh of relief. If anything, the former was a man of his word. Despite his nonchalant appearance, Nozaki was indeed a trusted friend, one he was extremely grateful for having (not that he'd ever say that aloud). "Then it's all good. Thank you."

The subject was dropped all the more quickly, and the two resumed their pace for the rest of the afternoon. It wasn't until Hori bid the aspiring manga artist goodbye for the night that Nozaki finally set down his pencil to pick up the notebook he had discarded hours prior. Onyx eyes gleamed as he involuntarily let out an excited snicker.

"Hori-senpai, you have absolutely no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

And then, "... I really need a Suzuki in my life."

* * *

His interactions with Kashima over the past few days had been strange, to say the least. Hori would find himself avoiding her during school hours, and then blowing up at her for the littlest of details during club hours. He partially blamed the conversation with Nozaki, but as great of an actor as he was, the walls he had so meticulously built around him crumbled at the sight of the lanky, annoyingly perky kouhai. She was quite the foe, indeed.

"Hori-chan-senpai, let's go get parfaits!"

"You're inviting me? What happened to your princesses or whatever?" An eyebrow raised as Kashima scooted closer to him, exuberance making her eyes shine more than they already did.

"But I wanna spend some quality time with Senpai!" She was bouncing in place, and it was getting increasingly harder to say no. Luckily the club's meeting had distracted him from dwelling too much on his whole "love" predicament (he mentally shuddered at the word), but unluckily the meeting had only lasted so long, and he was now stuck with the very same person he had been avoiding- or at least trying to- for the past week.

"Uh, sorry. I can't today. Busy," was the only excuse he could come up with, lest he risked professing his undying love to the girl. Okay, well that was highly unlikely, but it still didn't make that strange aching in his chest at the sight of Kashima go away. Not in the slightest.

"With whaaaaaat." Hori knew that voice. It was the voice she used before getting all clingy and whiny with him, the one that was both vexing and adorable at the same time, and with the emotional roller coaster he's been riding lately heaven forbid he stay long enough to act on _either_ of those emotions.

"Just... drama club stuff. I'm collecting the script for the next show today. Yeah," he lied straight through his pearly whites.

"To Nozaki's? Lemme come with you, Senpai!"

"Sorry, this is confidential business with your president. We can't have you eavesdropping." Nozaki's indifferent voice cut through the tense air (at least, on Hori's end) as the stoic teen approached them right in the nick of time. Kashima made a noise in the back of her throat as she blanched at his presence, the fourteen-centimeter height gap too wide to cross even for her. Thank the lucky stars.

"You senpai stealer!" She accused, rather childishly- hint: cutely- in Hori's opinion.

"Kashima, Nozaki's right. I'll let you in on the details as soon as I can but it's strictly between us. It wouldn't be fair to the other members either," he said. She stared at him wide-eyed; for a second he could see the tear ducts leaking. But then she harrumphed, and with a glare that could melt steel scowled at Nozaki before turning on her heel and stomping off.

"... If you see my naked body behind a dumpster tomorrow please tell my family I love them."

Knowing Kashima like they both did, that was not entirely improbable.

Hori shuddered at the thought. "I owe you one. Thanks." Kashima would have been clinging onto him forever had Nozaki not come. His poor, conflicted heart wouldn't have been able to handle all that stress.

"No need to thank me, senpai. I actually did want to talk to you about the new script I wrote. I figured it'd be interesting to do a tragedy for once. What do you think?" His tone changed to one of hidden urgency. Red flags immediately signaled as Nozaki suddenly glowed with unsuppressed excitement.

Hori took a moment to ponder the idea- it'd be different, that was for certain. He'd been so used to fairytale kisses and happy endings that anything else seemed foreign. Heck, he wasn't even sure the taller man had a tragic bone in his body.

"I'll explain it tonight. We can work out the kinks, but trust me, senpai. I'm confident this script has some potential," Nozaki reassured. "It'll at least take your mind away from, y'know."

"... Why the hell not."

Six hours and a sorry-for-making-you-stay-late cake later, Hori found himself in the midst of fervently planning the Drama Club's next play, with Kashima as lead, of course. _'The setting is fairly typical, hopefully the plot makes up for it.'_

"I have to give you props, Nozaki. Honestly, I didn't think you were capable of writing this," He said, satisfied. The story itself detailed the life of a princess who, in a fit of rage, murdered her sister after discovering she hadn't inherited the crown. Cast into exile, the bitter princess struck a deal with a scheming witch she met on the outskirts of the kingdom- the throne, in exchange for the blood of her most loved one.

 _'And that's whe_ _n Kashima appears._ _'_ Hori was already imagining it; Kashima as the young lad who guided the straying princess back on the path to righteousness. The storyline had the princess falling for the strange fellow she initially despised, yet came to cherish. But as with all tragedies, announcement of the kingdom's new ruler gave way to conflict between her revenge-filled animosity and the realization of her developing love, where the precarious balance of her morals soon began to diminish. Being unwittingly manipulated by the witch, the princess resolved to kill the man whom had transformed her life all those months ago. The young lad quickly discovered her plot, yet had too fallen hard for her that he confessed his love right as she dealt the final blow. Grief-stricken, the princess fulfilled her part of the deal. The following day, a mysterious plague had wiped the entire kingdom out, leaving her as the sole survivor to take the crown. The witch was nowhere to be seen, and the act finally ended on her tragic demise as she took her own life thereafter.

"You doubt me."

"Yeah... Sorry about that." Hori stifled a yawn as he packed his papers and grimaced apologetically at Nozaki. He bid a lethargic farewell, oblivious to the former's widening smirk, and made his way out the door. It was all he could do to hope everything went well the next few months.

* * *

School was great. Rehearsal was great. His love life- or lack thereof- was... meh. But Hori was feeling high-spirited nonetheless. The days until their first show were quickly dwindling down, yet he couldn't contain the excitement as everyone hustled about with practiced efficiency. He was confident they could do it.

"You broke your leg?!"

Or not.

She was on the brink of tears as club members surrounded her. A myriad of equally comforting whispers and concerned shouts erupted as the _lead_ , of all people, stared hopelessly at the cast enshrouding her left leg. "I-I'm sorry, it was an accident. A car was coming and there was this puppy on the road and he-"

Hori cut her off, "Everyone, calm down. Don't worry about it, as long as you're safe that's all that matters. No one's angry at you," he said, watching as she hesitantly relaxed in her seat. They had an understudy for a reason, though it was the first time a main role had to be filled. He didn't know what to expect.

"It'll be alright. We'll figure something out," he said, right as Kashima burst into the room. Her eyes were widened in panic, their chartreuse hue shimmering even in the dim light. An unspoken question lingered in the air as her glance landed first on her partner, then the cast, and finally Hori.

"The show will go on?"

He nodded. There was no way in hell it wasn't.

A grin broke out on her face, spreading from ear to ear as she jumped and whooped in glee. Kashima ran first to her injured partner, shouting something along the lines of "my princess" and one of those cliché reassurances he was so used to hearing. And then she turned to him, all doped up on euphoria, and wrapped her arms around his shorter frame. He swore his heart nearly stopped.

"You're the best!" She released him and like that frolicked off to presumably rehearse, leaving a dumbstruck Hori in the midst. There wasn't much time to muse, however, as the ninety-nine percent of the club that wasn't Kashima was now staring at him oddly.

He cleared his throat and dismissed them all with a vague promise of "sorting it out," and shot out of the room quicker than Kashima did. The pragmatic, touch-me-and-you-die side of him was currently freaking out as he crossed the auditorium and hauled ass to the restroom. Some cold water would do him good.

"What is wrong with me..." He muttered aloud.

"Dunno, aren't you always like this?" Nozaki's passive voice rang in the next stall over.

"Oh shi-! Nozaki, why the hell are you here?!" Hori jumped at the sound of the other occupant, his queasy stomach having yet to settle.

"Think of me as your fairy godmother, appearing before your maiden heart in times of distress. There, there, child. Tell me all your woes and worries," he patted his bosom with a tender smile. And got a shoe chucked at his nose.

"It's so- gaah!" Hori slammed his hands on the sink. He didn't understand, not in the slightest- they were still interacting the same, talking the same (her shouting at the top of her lungs and him shouting at the top of his lungs for her to shut up), seeing each other no more or less than they usually did- yet he could feel his frustration rising. He was a rational young man with responsibilities and a future, not some love-struck sap reduced to a pathetic mess at the sight of a crush.

"I'm not no Suzuki..."

Nozaki gasped, tears forming as they begin mixing with the coagulated blood on his nose. "Senpai, love is not pathetic. Suzuki might be, but romance is a wonderful thing," he chastised, not even realizing he just dissed his own character. "Try looking at it from a logical perspective, then. Of all the people out there, do you really see yourself with any other person besides Kashima?"

"Yes. And I see her stealing my girlfriend too. And they're going to run off into the sunset together and leave me to shrivel and die forever alone."

"Which is exactly why you have to snatch Kashima before that happens! Think about it, you date her. She dates you. Two good-looking, ambitious people who already only think about each other anyways, _dating,_ and no one gets hurt!" Okay, so maybe rational wasn't the right approach to it.

"You're over thinking it, senpai. Worrying isn't going to change your feelings for her," Nozaki said. "I'm not here to influence your decision, but it'd be wise to... go with the flow, like they say. Maybe then your feelings will sort themselves out."

Huh, that didn't sound too bad. There was only so much Hori could handle (especially in regards to things like emotions) before he snapped, and who knew how many people would be hurt by the extent of his oftentimes incorrigible temper. He was physically and psychologically drained. Nozaki had a point, the upperclassman- reluctantly, at that- realized.

He took a deep breath, allowing the air to fill his chest before it deflated from sunken shoulders. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right Nozaki."

"I'm always right."

He was about to comment when a banging from the entrance startled the both of them. Speak of the devil.

"Hori-chan-senpai! Are you okay?! I saw you run in here, is your stomach hurting? Do you need a belly rub? Some fruit juice? Agh, I can't take it anymore! I'm coming in!" He had literally half a second to compose himself. Dashing to the door, obscenities flowed from his mouth like second nature as Nozaki observed in silence the picturesque view before him- crying, followed by hitting, all sandwiched between a lot of screaming. It was near impossible to tell the violent third-year had even developed feelings for Kashima in the first place. ' _They're s_ _oulmates...'_

Well, no matter, Nozaki mentally noted. Things were already falling into place.

* * *

Sometimes Hori just wanted to cry.

It seemed fate was determined to screw him over. In fact, Lady Luck was probably sitting on her tush at the moment, laughing to her heart's content as she watched him break down literally two hours before their opening show. He should have known nothing good ever came from tragedies.

"Her grandma was diagnosed with _cancer_?!" Blunt nails buried themselves deep into the rumpled script as he took in the news. The stage manager was motioning to the phone in her hand, where a tinny voice was heard hyperventilating through the speaker. His own breath quickened as well, the seldom experienced sign of an oncoming panic attack foreign to his usually composed self.

" _P-President_ _! I-_ _I don't think I can make I- No, don't touch her! H-help, please, Grammy!_ _I_ _'m sorry. I'm so sorry. P-Please forgive me, I can't-"_ She was tearing up, her sentences slurring together as the former listened in consternation. Clearly, she wasn't in any mental state to perform a play, and he doubted force would accomplish anything either. Even he would have booked it if placed in her situation.

But bloody hell, Hori was at a loss.

Both leads were gone. Canceling was out of the equation. There was a little less than two hours (and counting) until the curtains opened, and they had to please the majority of the school population. And then some. Maybe this was a nightmare. Maybe if he pinched himself-

"Hori-chan-senpai, how about you play the princess? I bet you've memorized every single line, and you're a great actor to boot. She was about your size anyways," Kashima butted in, strangely calm. Despite donning her peasant outfit, she radiated every bit of the elegance he had come to admire. But there was no way. Not a single chance.

Hori vocalized that, and promptly received an outburst of protests. The entire drama club had migrated to their tight little corner- stage crew, lighting, makeup, and cast were staring at him expectantly, stars in their eyes. The wardrobe supervisor was in the midst of pulling out the dress. Lo and behold, the wig came next. He considered ducking and sprinting (maybe his short stature would finally have a use), only to realize that:

1\. He was the damn Club President.

2\. They didn't need anyone else leaving them.

3\. He would get to act with Kashima.

A beat passed. Hori sighed in defeat.

A chorus of exuberant cheers erupted as the tense atmosphere lightened. Everyone soon dissipated, leaving him with the wardrobe supervisor and a beaming Kashima. "I swear, don't say-"

"I'll be waiting, my princess."

"I'd hit you but we need your unblemished face for this play." Plus the reaction to a bruised Kashima was something he absolutely dreaded from the doting members of the club. He waved the girl (Prince) away, watched as she pouted before reluctantly leaving the room, and mentally prepared himself for battle.

"Um, President. Can you take off your shirt? We need to give you some breasts."

Armor, that was all.

The next hour and a half involved standing deathly still, some squeezing into- corsets were dangerous, after all- and what he believed was a solid three pounds of makeup.

By then, everything was ready sans the last-minute checks. There was still time for a quick run-through, though he knew they had it down to the very tee. Right now he was no longer the Club President, nor the director. He wasn't even Hori Masayuki anymore- he, or rather she, was the tragic princess fated to die. _'How morbid...'_

Settling into his chair, he replayed the script in his head, over and over, like a mantra until he felt the essence of the character all the way to his bones. The hope, jealousy, rage, and regret all coursed through him. That was the thing he loved about acting, be it immersing himself in his role or watching Kashima do it perfectly (though he had come to prefer the latter so far). When Hori felt ready, he boldly sauntered into his position onstage. The spotlight had already been prepared; it was a matter of waiting for the audience to fill the seats.

He took deep breaths. Someone from the back signaled to him. The orchestra club had already begun playing, the announcer's words having gone in one ear and out the other. Much too quickly, the velvet curtains pulled back as he suddenly found himself amidst a sea of unfamiliar faces. All eyes were on him.

"Long, long ago, there lived a princess..." The narrator, whose voice sounded deeper than Hori remembered, broke the silence. He flowed through his motions easily enough, with the occasional high-pitched quip as the prologue progressed smoothly. So far so good.

This continued for quite a while; lines, scenes, and actors all passed by in one interminable blur as Hori became one with his role. It wasn't until the curtains dropped as the crowd hollered and cheered that he realized they were already halfway through with the entire play. Club members came to congratulate his "brilliant" acting on such impromptu notice, admiration shining especially in the younger students' eyes. At first he lingered there awkwardly, the praises having broken his character and caught him off guard. A lot of stuttering and humble denials later the third-year resigned to accepting them with as much gratitude as he could muster.

"Huh, this isn't so bad..." Hori said, once he had a moment to himself. Sure, the boobs were uncomfortable, but he was actually having somewhat fun. Just a little bit longer, he reminded. Hopefully, he could survive until the end of the play.

* * *

Act Two was a completely different story.

When Kashima was introduced in the latter half, Hori had damn near lost all his composure. He had momentarily forgotten his role in lieu of being utterly besotted by Kashima's that he'd confused or omitted lines entirely. Small, sometimes irrelevant lines, but lines nonetheless. To make matters worse, he was finding an uncanny pattern in the script he hadn't noticed before-

Their interactions were strangely similar to that of real life.

It was as if the same banter, Kashima's insistence on responding to his every beck and call, and even Hori's dismissive attitude was being manifested. Heck, there was a scene where the princess fell asleep, and in the lad's panic rushed her back to their cottage. The only thing missing was that stupid bull head costume. At first he kept the suspicions at bay, but it wasn't until his character was being manipulated by the witch that something personal resonated with him.

"I do not love him, nor will I ever."

"You deceive yourself, princess. It won't be long before you must make your choice. Kill him now, or you will surely regret it," the witch coaxed. Hori took a step back, nearly tripping on his heels as he did. "You senile old bat," he bit out, "how dare you order me around." The scene continued until the mention of the new ruler's anointment- the ultimate shift in his character.

"The clock is ticking, princess. Alas, your pretty little heart may be conflicted, but _his_ is set in stone." Kashima came on just then as the spotlight shifted toward her, conversing with a dainty villager. She was practically radiating as her behavior turned more suggestive, intimate almost. For a second- and just for a second, Hori truly felt for the princess. Jealousy, neglect, anger, and finally grief. He capitalized on the abrupt rush of emotions that shot through him, yet the feeling of something hitting a little too close to home had yet to diminish.

He took a lingering glance at Kashima (for the audience's sake, he told himself) and reluctantly complied with the witch. The latter procured from the folds of her robe a glinting prop dagger. Heavens help him. The finale was coming up.

All the actors receded behind the curtains until Kashima and he were left. She bounded up to him with such natural giddiness it hardly seemed like they were acting.

"Ah, my fair princess. I have been long awaiting your arrival," she started. They approached each other. A fake smile danced across Hori's lips, the weapon's plastic handle gripped tightly behind his back. Damn, his hands were clammy. "I hear the kingdom is anointing a young ruler today! Would you like to view the coronation with me?"

The smile dropped.

"Do you love me?"

Oh shit.

Kashima's eyes widened. That was definitely not part of the script.

"P-Princess?" The confusion melded quickly into worry. He didn't have a chance to discern whether it was genuine or not. Not when she was sweeping his, albeit synthetic, bangs away. Not when they were close enough to brush foreheads. "Are you ill? Do you need some rest?"

"... Why must you do this to me?" The words were flowing freely now, and he couldn't stop them even if he tried. Where was Nozaki griping about 'going with the flow' when Hori needed him? "Why do you treat me so? You're too kind to me!"

"What do you mean, my princess? Do you imply that someone as pure and wonderful as you does not deserve the very best?" He reluctantly pushed Kashima away, gently as to not disrupt their rhythm but enough to garner a reaction from the crowd.

"No, I am saying you deserve better than this," he gestured to himself, "a bloodthirsty, power-hungry shell of a former princess. Answer my question, do you love me? If you love me, get away while you have the chance," he pleaded. Instead of replying, she entwined her hand with his free one.

"I will do no such thing. Was I obscure, princess? Did I dare to hope that all my lingering touches, my comforting words, my acts of compassion did not go unnoticed? The question is, do you love _me_?"

Hori froze, pinned to the spot by the look of utter awe in Kashima's eyes. Awe, amazement, and all of the things he would never imagine in a million years would be directed anywhere near his vicinity. All towards him. All from the person he admitted to, without a doubt, loving so many nights ago.

Ah, whatever. Screw it.

"... Yes," he whispered. "I do."

The dagger clattered noisily to the floor as Kashima pulled them close. Her lips were soft, incredibly soft, as the crowd whistled, stomped and cheered behind them and Hori was suddenly hyper aware of the fact that:

1\. He was actually, no joke, kissing Kashima. Lips to lips. Acting be damned.

2\. He had basically just confessed his love in the cheesiest way known to humankind.

3\. The play was now fucked up beyond repair.

"Thus, the once bitter princess found true love at last. She discarded her title, gave up her past, and accepted her new life as a changed woman. As for the witch... she was nowhere to be found, and they lived happily ever after. The end."

The curtains closed to thunderous clapping, leaving Hori and Kashima to awkwardly part. Well, awkwardly on Hori's end. His eyes remained fixated at the ground. Any and all thought was flung out the window long ago. "Uh, sorry 'bout that-"

"Hori-senpai! That was amazing! You were awesome!" She raved. Their hands were still connected as Kashima jumped up and down, a dazed Hori being numbly pulled along as the erratic pounding of his chest still ran rampant.

"Eh?" He asked, genuinely confused. "But I ruined the entire play...?"

"Ruined?! That tragedy was too dark anyways! I prefer happy endings, after all," her head bobbed as she nodded to herself. Even the sheen of sweat that lined her forehead seemed to perfectly complement her as she oozed adorableness- flushed cheeks, toothy grin, that child-like gleam in her eyes Hori could never stop staring at. "Plus that was the most fun I've had ad-libbing in a while!"

Oh. So that was it. Ad-libbing.

He swallowed the feeling of crushing disappointment and cursed himself for letting his emotions run rampant. He should have known that to Kashima, this was just another opportunity to showcase her acting expertise. And for once, as much as he hated to admit, it was painful watching her so immersed in her role. "Y-Yeah, you did grea-"

"MY ENTIRE SCRIPT, SENPAI. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY COUNTLESS HOURS I SPENT ON THAT?"

"Six, Nozaki. Six. I was there."

"Oh. Well, if you were going to change it, a heads-up would have been nice." Nozaki's features returned to their natural deadpan state. "I didn't know how to end it. Narrating sure is tough." He scratched his head as it finally clicked. Hori could rest easy knowing exactly why that narrator's voice evoked in him the primal urge to punch someone in the face.

"Sorry, Nozaki. It kinda... happened, I guess? I got lost in the acting, that's all."

Nozaki nodded, his nonchalant face remaining intact throughout. "Yup, I figured as much."

"What do you mea- You knew I was going to mess up?!" Hori snatched at the wig on his head and prepared to chuck it at the taller underclassman. He would have too, if not for the rest of the club suddenly filing in. Bright, overly peppy smiles stretched wide as they encircled Kashima and him. Everyone began to applaud. What startled him was the sight of _both_ the female leads present, cast-less and grandma-diagnosed-with-cancer-less, respectively. In fact they looked pretty damn ecstatic.

Oh, please no. Please not let this be some sick and twisted prank-

"Not mess up, senpai. Just inadvertently revealed your true self for everyone to see." Hori's line of vision snapped to Kashima, who was donning a mildly bemused expression. Of course, being the excellently perceptive people they were, the drama club members snickered in knowing as they glanced to one another, then the duo they were surrounding. Without another word, they began to file out again. Nozaki soon followed suit.

"Good for you, Hori-senpai. I want to hear all about it at the after party." Like hell anyone was inviting him to the damn after party.

He stifled an exhausted groan. He did it, he actually did it. Hori Masayuki had just confessed his annoyingly bona fide love in front of hundreds of people. Heck, forget the hundreds of people, there was one person standing right next to him whose opinion was the only one that mattered. He honestly didn't know what to expect- embarrassment and the overwhelming curl-up-under-a-rock-and-die were the only things he felt at the moment. Neither acceptance or rejection was even remotely considered at this point.

 _'Damn it, I just hope she's naive enough to_ _not think too much into it...'_

"Wait a second. Hori-chan-senpai has more restraint than to accidentally sabotage the ending of the entire play. And if Nozaki just meant what I thought he meant by revealing your true self then..."

"Look, Kashima," Hori panicked. "Forget about this play, seriously, I just acted in the heat of the moment. Whatever you were thinking, it's probably a misunderstanding." The crack in his voice was quickly controlled, but that didn't mean he wasn't freaking out on the inside. Kashima still stared straight at him, listening intently. The sparkle in her eyes soon disappeared, only to be replaced with hurt as a frown tilted her lips downward.

"H-Huh? Kashima, what's wrong?"

"Hori-senpai... doesn't love me?"

Despite Kashima's tall and imposing stature, it was impossible not to compare her to a poor, kicked puppy. On the side of the road. Homeless. And starving.

"What, are you crazy? Of course I do- wait, don't get the wrong idea! Not _love_ love, but love as in..." Hori was frantically wracking his brain for ways to explain that he did in fact, love Kashima- as a friend, as a fellow actor, but certainly NOT romantically. But he sure as hell love _loved_ her too, which made it all the more confusing, considering he just admitted to not _love_ loving her. In the end, he trailed off awkwardly, the words dying out when his eyes shifted to the floor.

"As in?"

Maybe it was the exhaustion from having performed for the first time in years, and maybe it was the stress of dealing with the play and his own disorienting feelings. But he was absolutely, one hundred percent done (if his slip-up during the second act was any indication). Kashima certainly didn't deserve this, and quite frankly he didn't want to put up anymore facades.

"As in... I love _you_ , Kashima. Everything about you- your love for acting, your cuteness, your kindness. I could go on but u-uh, you get the point. And what happened during the play? I meant it."

"... Oh."

When Hori looked up again, he was met with one of the most endearing sights he had ever been witness to. Kashima's eyes were widened almost comically, their doe-like size complementing perfectly with flushed cheeks and a surprised, half-agape mouth. He felt his own neck and ears heat up as a beat passed and she still regarded him with such a look of starstruck wonder.

And then the waterworks came.

One second Kashima was staring at him like he had just been revived from dead- or something of that caliber, and the next tears were flowing freely down her face as she hiccuped and fruitlessly tried to wipe them away. Anxiety seized Hori again. He had never seen her cry like that, or in general really. It was his fault, to boot.

"Kashima?! Seriously, what's wrong? I'm sorry, forget I ever said that!" He pulled in close, using the sleeves of his dress as a makeshift tissue as he shakily cupped her cheeks and attempted to thumb the tears away. "If I knew you were going to cry I wouldn't have said anything in the first place..."

"H-Hori-chan-s-senpai!" She blubbered. "No, you got it all _wrong_!"

"W-What?"

Kashima's head bowed as it dropped on his shoulder. Hori quickly wrapped his arms around her, instinct bringing his hands up to pat soothing circles on her back as the quivering and sniffling died down. She hiccuped again, but what followed was a small giggle as she placed the majority of her weight against the latter. "You've never said those words to me before... I'm happy!"

"So happy that you cried?" He really need to work on this emotion thing.

"Mm-hm, because Hori-chan-senpai actually reciprocates my feelings."

Never mind skipping a beat, his heart nearly went into cardiac arrest.

"I didn't want to pressure you, of course. But I was getting worried. What if I wasn't being obvious enough? What if you didn't feel the same? What if someone else came and swept you away? When you changed your lines up there, I got scared. I didn't know if that was another attempt to test my acting, or if you were actually serious. I didn't know what to do."

As guilty as Hori was for trying Kashima like he did, he was equally relieved. The burden that was heavily weighing on his shoulders the past months had suddenly lifted hearing her heartfelt confession. What the hell had he been actually worrying about?

A chuckle escaped him as he ruffled her hair, stopping her mid-sentence. The grip around her tightened as another chuckle left his lips, then full-blown laughter. He should have known, damn it.

"So I was the naive one, huh?"

"H-Hori-senpai?"

"I'm sorry, Kashima, for not noticing your feelings. I'm not used to this... sappy romance thing, y'know? All this time I thought it was just your personality, or you were being extra clingy that day. I was blinded, and should have taken your actions into consideration." All the hugs, the gifts, the insistence on spending time with him; it made sense.

"Thank you, Kashima." They were by no means conventional, and he had failed to realize that. In the end, he had just ended up freaking out over nothing.

Hori slowly pulled away. The sheepish grin on his face widened as he saw the subtle hope that flooded Kashima's own countenance. "Then... does that mean?"

"Haha, yeah, guess so." A moment of silence, and then she was hopping for joy as she embraced him again. "Hori-chan-senpai loooooves me! Yay!"

Gosh, she was too cute for her own good.

"So... now what?"

"Now," he reluctantly disentangled himself. The heels came off first, right around the same time a suspicious thump from the other side alerted them to the muffled swear that followed. "We kill a scheming manga artist for disrupting the play, not to mention deliberately throwing hundreds of dollars' worth of production down the drain."

"Hm. Sounds good." She unsheathed a plastic sword as Hori slammed the door open. A hunched Nozaki was in the midst of jotting down notes as he glanced up at the terrifying duo, muttered his prayers, and shot out the room faster than humanly possible.

Kashima was faster.

As Hori watched the ultimate prey vs. predator scene unfold before him, he couldn't help but think of how simple things could have been with Kashima all this time, and that it actually required the meddling of a no-good, love-deprived teen, an underclassman, no less, to make him see that.

He was such an idiot.

(But a happy one, at that.)

* * *

Hope you... enjoyed? I don't think anyone would believe me if I said I vowed to update faster (really, I tried). *Cries*

DON'T WORRY TO ANY READERS WHO COULD HAVE POSSIBLY STUCK WITH ME ALL THIS TIME- I'M ALIVE AND KICKING AND GOSH DARN IT IF YOU WANT FANFICTION I'LL GIVE YOU FANFICTION.


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